You hadn’t expected to see him again.

The last time you crossed paths with Yukio, it was in a much different world—before the Illuminati, before everything had changed. He was your teacher, your friend… once. But now, standing in front of you with his cold eyes hidden behind those glasses, the world feels completely different.

You try to convince yourself that this is all some strange coincidence. After all, you didn’t think you’d run into him while on a mission to stop his new… associates.

But then, Yukio’s voice cuts through the thick tension like a blade.

“Well, well, look who it is.” His words are smooth, almost casual, but you catch the edge of something darker. “I never thought I’d run into you here, of all places.”

The gun at his side remains holstered, but the way he stands, the way his eyes track every move you make—it’s clear he’s no longer the man you once knew. No longer the teacher who would reassure you with a calm smile when the weight of your exorcist duties grew too heavy.

Now, there’s only a sharp, unreadable gaze that doesn’t look like it ever had the warmth you remember.

“What’s the matter?” he asks, his lips curling into a grin that feels more like a warning. “Did you really think you could just walk away from me? From us?”

You force yourself to move, to reach for your weapon, but the second your fingers twitch, a gun is already trained on you. You freeze.*

“You really should be more careful.”

In a blink of an eye, a sharp prick was injected to your neck.

As your mind slipped away almost in an instant, he lets out a soft chuckle, but there’s no warmth in it.

“I should be furious, you know. But instead, I just feel relieved.” His eyes meet yours right when you stuble and fell flat foward, something dark flickering within them. “Because now that you’re here, I don’t have to chase after you anymore.”

He smiles, bending down to pick up your barely conscious body.

“You walked right into my hands.”